1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus having an answering machine function and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, cordless telephones equipped with an answering machine function automatically answer a call and record a message from the caller after detecting a predetermined number of rings (ringing signals) when the answering machine function is set. Further, it is possible to listen to the message on the base unit as it is being recorded.
That is, while the base unit is used to record the caller's message to an internal memory or the like when in answering machine mode, the message being recorded can also be output as audio from an internal speaker.
Conventionally, answering machine function settings have been performed in a standby state. Therefore, it is not possible to transfer to answering machine mode after receiving a call in normal mode, or to transfer to normal mode (standby state) and answer the call after receiving a call in answering machine mode, which is inconvenient. In view of this, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-068931 proposes a mobile telephone that improves user friendliness by enabling the operation mode to be switched anytime, not just when in a standby state.
The above prior art discloses that the operation mode of the mobile telephone itself transfers to answering machine mode after receiving a call. On the other hand, with many cordless answering machines, a cordless handset connected to the base unit cannot be used to set or cancel the answering machine function during an incoming call, similarly to the base unit, since the answering machine function is set in the base unit.